Carlos Toraño Virtuoso Maestro

7" X 50, Dark Natural

Appearance: This was another in my recent string of beautiful looking cigars. It was firmly packed and dense stick. Also it was a very smooth wrappered cigar, with no visible veins and an awesome roasted coffee hue. It definitely sparked my interest.

Pre-Light: Clipped easily. As a side note I have to say I have been nothing but impressed with my new Palio Cutter. It really is quite sharp and even dense cigars have not provided any resistance to it, meaning a nice clean cut every time. Pre-Light draw was of roasted coffee, and leather, and some underlying earthiness.

Burn/Draw: The burn was straight, ans self correcting, and I never really thought much about it while smoking this cigar. Which means it was good. The draw was a little tight during the first inch. I think this might have been because I got this cigar at the local stogie shop and may have been a tad more damp than I would have had it. After the first inch, though, it opened up nicely and was quite forgiving, producing plenty of smoke.

Flavors: This was a great rich, sumptuous cigar, full of rich flavors. It started out with a burst of spice and some rich earthiness, but that faded after the first inch (the dampness issue possibly). After the first inch it opened up into a nice rich cigar. There were sweet notes of cinnamon and ginger, and rich cocoa, with a nice deep roasted coffee underneath. These flavors all interplayed with each other throughout the length of the cigar, providing a quite enjoyable experience.

TomC